This system was initially developed by Compaq’s former ad agency of record. But within less than a year we were pleasantly surprised to see them coming to us. We had been working on their business with a 1st-tier reseller Extranet. They wanted an overhaul of the CRC’s design, user interface, functionality and error-checking for both the User and the extremely complicated administrative/data-loading utilities.

It proved quite a challenge because, frankly, it was in a horrible state. Appeared to have been designed by programmers who were in a hurry to meet a deadline and concentrated mainly on getting tasks done with very little consideration for the user experience. It was pretty ugly, but mainly it was just very, very confusing - especially for the administrator who has to continuously update all the sections of the site which, using Microsoft’s ASP (active server pages), serves up dynamic content.

I wrote a 60-page strategic and developmental proposal outlining the specifics of redeploying the system and Compaq bought it. The development included improving a very sophisticated “Solution Builder” system configurator that would tell the user all the options that are available for a particular model (within a specific family and group of computers) as well as whether or not slots/ports are free, on-the-fly, based on standard inclusions and previous-selected options. For the administrator there were a number of improvements, but the most helpful would be the ability for them to export the database into an Excel-readable format so she could update product information quickly offline in either segment tables (such as price or options) or all at once. Previously she had to edit each, one at a time, which was especially troubling when a new country had to come online. I made her job much easier by improving productivity.

Compaq and its resellers find the system so useful now - where previously no one used it - they are having us add functions that will allow 1st and 2nd-tier resellers to package it as their own e-commerce Web site for their customers. They will be able to brand it after themselves, add their own corporate info and use the plethora of utilities to sell directly. It’s a literal “Web-in-the-box” system that will generate both parties additional revenue - by selling to thousands of dealers across the region and helping users buy direct. This is one way Compaq will ease their partners’ concerns about Compaq selling on the Internet. By allowing them to do the same thing with provided tools.

It has so far rolled out in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Korea, Vietnam and Thailand with their own localized versions.

Based on the success of largely this project, we have been appointed new media Agency of Record for Compaq Asia Pacific - beating out companies like Agency.Com (their agency of record in the U.S. and Europe), Euro RSCG, Modem Media, APL Digital, DDB Interactive (whose parent was global agency of record for the above-the-line work at the time) and the like.